Mathematical Digest
Short Summaries of Articles about Mathematics
in the Popular Press "The Search for Rigor": Review of Mechanizing Proof: Computing, Risk, andTrust, by Donald Mackenzie MIT press, 2001). Reviewed by Brian Hayes. American Scientist,July-August 2002. Mackenzie's Mechanizing Proof explores the concept of proof asunderstood in both mathematics and computer science. Hayes explains that"MacKenzie's story has two mirror-image aspects. On the one hand, computers canhelp construct proofs in mathematics; on the other, proof techniques borrowedfrom mathematics might help in constructing correct computer programs." Hayespraises Mackenzie---a sociologist---for his descriptions of the mathematicaland computer science issues, for the literature he used and interviewsconducted for source material, and for his writing style. --- Annette Emerson |
